Texel, the largest Wadden Island, is a delightful and sustainable holiday destination. From Den Helder, you take the boat and within twenty minutes you are on an island in the middle of World Heritage Sites. But even once on the island, you can take a more sustainable approach, for instance by consciously choosing where to eat. And that works surprisingly well on Texel. We have listed the best sustainable restaurants on Texel for you!
In search of Texel's best sustainable restaurants
Texel is full of fine places to eat something, from cosy eateries to culinary surprises. But what makes a restaurant sustainable? On the island, this is reflected in various forms: from cooking with the taste of the Wadden Sea to fully plant-based kitchens, organic farms and eating places that work with local products as much as possible. So you can have breakfast with yoghurt from Texel cows, lunch in an orchard full of edible flowers or dine with a chef who gathers his ingredients on the Wadden Sea. In this overview, we show you how versatile sustainable eating on Texel can be. Prefer your feet in the sand? Then check out our list of sustainable beach bars on the island. But now first: the nicest sustainable restaurants on Texel. Enjoy your meal!
Chicory Foodbar
In the middle of Den Burg sits Chicory Foodbar, Texel's very first completely vegan restaurant. Since 2022, they have been showing here how surprisingly delicious plant-based food can be. The menu is a colourful mix of worldly flavours, local produce and a hefty dose of creativity. Think birria tacos with oyster mushroom and jackfruit, kimchi pancakes with sesame and soy sauce or a work of art of roasted beetroot with miso and nut cheese. The love for vegan cooking once began on the beach, at their other business Beach Pavilion Twelve, and grew into this cosy restaurant with a mission: to give you a taste that plant-based food is anything but boring.
Weverstraat 39, Den Burg
Vegan food on Texel? Then Witlof's is the place to be! Photos: Boys from the beach
Restaurant Floris
On the east coast of Texel, just outside Oosterend, lies Restaurant Floris. This is a place where you can literally taste the Wadden. Here you are in the middle of the spoonbills and with a pair of old shoes you can go straight out onto the Wadden Sea to collect oysters yourself. These are then lovingly prepared as a starter with a dinner full of Texel delicacies. The menu changes with the seasons and offers dishes such as catfish with beurre blanc, black garlic and Wadden cockles, or a vegetarian lasagne with pumpkin and aubergine. The drinks are also locally inspired, with, for example, a salty Texel gin and elderflower tonic.
Stuifweg 13, Oosterend
At Jef's
An evening out to dinner at At Jef's in Den Hoorn is not your average dinner, but a culinary voyage of discovery. This Michelin restaurant puts the best of Texel on your plate, with ultra-fresh ingredients from its own vegetable garden, salty flavours from the Wadden Sea and refined combinations you won't soon forget. Chef Jef Schuur lets you taste how special super-local food can be, and sommelier Nadine Mögling completes the experience with perfectly chosen wines. Whether you come for one evening or choose a package including an overnight stay, here you will experience the peace and taste of the island.
Herenstraat 34, Den Hoorn
If you really want to go big on Texel, book a table (and hotel room?) at Jef, a sustainable restaurant on Texel with a Michelin star!
Restaurant Opduin
On the edge of De Koog, where the dunes slowly merge into the forest, you will find restaurant Opduin, the culinary pearl of the Grand Hotel of the same name. Here, everything revolves around ‘Waddengastronomy’: cooking with honest, fresh ingredients from nearby and surprisingly many vegetarian and vegan dishes. You sit beautifully, in a bright conservatory or outside on the terrace overlooking the dune landscape full of swaying beach grass. A fine place for a sustainable evening out, where good food and a relaxed atmosphere go hand in hand.
Ruijslaan 22, De Koog
Food forest Texel
What could be more fun than picking fruit at your own pace, and in a beautiful place full of berry bushes, raspberry vines and strawberry beds? At Food forest Texel In Oudeschild, you stroll through orchards during the day - picking basket in hand - in search of the tastiest fruits of the season. Children can have fun among the greenery and there are cosy seating areas for picnics. It is therefore the perfect lunch stop! Is it raining? No point. In the cosy greenhouse you can enjoy homemade cake, ice cream or a fresh juice, of course with fruit from their own garden. The owners are cordial and lovingly share the story behind this edible paradise.
Middellandseweg 4, Oudeschild
Cooking Atelier Op Oost
Culinary delights in the rhythm of the Wadden Sea? You can do that at the Cooking workshop, the restaurant of Op Oost in Oosterend. Here, it's all about cooking with nature: with vegetables, herbs and plants from their own garden, supplemented by whatever the island has to offer at the time. They call this themselves ‘’botanical and Nordic kitchen'. Chef Joram Timmerman serves a surprise menu that moves with the seasons, and that earned him a Green Michelin star and a spot in the We're Smart Green Guide up. Whether you choose fully vegetarian or a menu with a side of fish or meat: each plate tells the story of Texel. Tip: you can also stay here overnight in one of the 12 Farm Chic Suites, or join a wild-picking tour, yoga in the garden or an oyster adventure on the mud flats.
Oost 76, Oosterend
At Op Oost on Texel, you get a real nature experience. You can sleep, eat and walk there sustainably. So you'll definitely give your holiday on Texel a greener edge. Photos: Stefan Krofft.
Local 16
Looking for a nice place for breakfast or lunch in Den Burg? Then be sure to drop in at Local 16. This fresh corner café on the Gravenstraat works with honest, fresh and, as far as possible, local products such as desem bread from Texel soil, coffee from Texel Branding and homemade granola. The atmosphere is relaxed, the menu surprisingly versatile: from a French breakfast to yoghurt with granola and an avocado sandwich with poached egg. This is also the right place for a dirty chai, green smoothie or cappuccino with oat milk. Bonus points for the sunny, sheltered courtyard and the cute little shop full of Texel gifts.
Gravenstraat 16, Den Burg
Home-made treats and lots of vegetarian lunch options can be found on Texel at Lokaal 16. On a nice day, be sure to walk through to the back for the terrace!
Forest pavilion ’t Turfveld
Among the trees of the Texel forest lies ’t Turfveld, a casual forest pavilion with typical snack bar favourites, but also a fun option with a greener twist that makes it a perfect stop on your greener list: a vegan croquette made from Texel mushrooms and seaweed. This place is ideal if you're on holiday with kids (big sandpit!) or looking for a break during your bike ride from the beach. You sit there in the lee and, with a bit of luck, a woodpecker will flutter by. Tip: walk for another five minutes to the viewpoint for a beautiful vista of the dunes and the sea.
Nattevlakweg 2, Den Burg
Novali farm
Novali farm is an organic care farm just outside Den Hoorn and also a sustainable hotspot of Texel. Everything you see here, from cheese to bread, cake and ice cream, is made organically with love and 100%. You can stock up on local products in the shop, but don't forget to sit down on the terrace. Order a cup of herbal tea (freshly picked!) with a piece of homemade cake or a sandwich with homemade cheese. And it is a top spot for parents of young children: while you unwind, they can have fun on the go-karts or in the playground. Extra fun: a peek into the kitchen at the back of the shop lets you see how all the goodies are made.
Hoornderweg 46, Den Hoorn
The Wind Rose
Another lunch spot that is ideal with kids. Among the meadows and woods, halfway to Texel, lies The Wind Rose. This is a place where you can unwind during a bike ride or walk. This organic lunch spot is part of the Maartenhuis, a community and day care centre for people with special needs. The residents lovingly help with the service and the shop, and you can feel it in everything: there is a relaxed, genuine atmosphere here. On the terrace, right next to the vegetable garden, you can enjoy home-made cake, tea with freshly picked herbs, a bowl of soup or a small lunch. Everything is organic and made with ingredients from our own garden. A place with attention for people and nature.
Ruijslaan 81, De Koog
More sustainable restaurants on Texel?
In this article, we collected some places where you can enjoy good food with attention to nature. From Michelin star to Wad tasting, from a vegan hang-out to an organic farm or just a croquette with a green twist during your bike ride, sustainable restaurants on Texel come in all shapes and flavours. And we are probably far from being there yet. Do you know a hidden gem where you can eat truly sustainable food? Let us know, we would love to help you discover more fine addresses on the island.
More great tips on the Wadden Islands
- Also see: the best thing about Terschelling.
- Also see: four tips for Schiermonnikoog.
- Also see: Holidays on Texel: the list of the best things to do.
- Also see: Vlieland with kids!
Photo credits: main image from left to right: Boys of the Beach (dish), Stefan Krofft (drink), thegreenlist.nl (beach). Other: Boys from the Beach (Witlof Foodbar), By Jef, Stefan Krofft (Kookatlier Op Oost), thegreenlist.nl (Local 16).
